New capital for Southern Sudan

By Jacob K. Lupai

April 27, 2009 — Suggesting a new capital for Southern Sudan is most likely to raise a number of questions. One is about the feasibility of such a project and of course the imagined enormous cost that may be prohibitive. The other question is why a new capital when there is already one. The last but not the least by all means is who is that somebody suggesting a new capital. If that somebody happens to be an Equatorian there may be uproar. However, a place called Ramceil was proposed as the location of the new capital of Southern Sudan. It is assumed to be equidistant from the three regions of greater Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile. One interesting feature of Ramceil is that it is considered to be located where the three greater regions meet. This may mean that the area of Ramceil is made up of a piece of land from each of the greater regions. It is therefore likely that none will claim that Ramceil is specifically located in one region. The strategic location of Ramceil as a capital demonstrates the wisdom of the choice of a capital that is all embracing for a nation in progress and hopefully Southern Sudan is.

The feasibility of the location of a new capital may best be left to experts in urban planning. However, suggesting the transfer of a capital to another location may not after all depend on urban planners but on local politics. For example, suggesting that the capital city of Southern Sudan should relocate somewhere else may be received with mixed feelings by those who may assume they are the target. Twenty-six year ago the then Southern Region was decentralised into three regions of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile. The majority of people of Equatoria welcome the decentralisation of the Southern Region but not so for the many people from Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile. The non-Equatorians perceived that they were the target to remove them from Juba and from Equatoria altogether. However, that was not the case. Many remained in Juba and in Equatoria. We are a people that cannot be divided by imaginary boundaries.

On 27 February 1972 in Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia an agreement was concluded between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan and South Sudan Liberation Movement, ending a 17-year old protracted civil war that sparked off on 18 August 1955 in Equatoria against the perceived northern domination. The agreement that became known as the Addis Ababa Agreement gave what were known as the southern provinces of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile a regional self-government. The geographical Southern Sudan that was composed of the three southern provinces became known as the Southern Region. For the capital of the Southern Region nowhere in the Addis Ababa Agreement was Juba mentioned specifically as the capital. The closest Juba was ever mentioned and it was more or less an allusion when on Resettlement, Article I, the Addis Ababa Agreement said, “There shall be established a Special Commission for Relief and Resettlement under the President of the Interim High Executive Council with headquarters in Juba and provincial branches in Juba, Malakal and Wau”. Juba was assumed to be the capital of the Southern Region without a formal endorsement by the Addis Ababa Agreement. Probably Juba gained prominence in people’s minds as the capital of Southern Sudan because of that historic conference supposed to map the way forward for Southern Sudan. The conference was held in Juba in 1947 and became famously known as the 1947 Juba Conference. Unfortunately the1947 Juba Conference was cunningly used as a rubber stamp for the unity of Sudan after gaining independence from Britain. It is not also clear whether the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 9 January 2005 has mentioned anything specifically about Juba being the capital of Southern Sudan. I couldn’t gather any evidence. I would appreciate if anybody could point out the evidence in the CPA that Juba was the proposed capital of Southern Sudan or in the Addis Ababa Agreement for that matter and that the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) of the CPA has local jurisdiction over Juba to appoint a mayor.

The people of Equatoria and indeed southerners of all walks of life welcome the Addis Ababa Agreement and having Juba as the capital of the Southern Region. For the first time southerners enjoyed freedom their forefathers probably didn’t. All started well although some southerners considered the Addis Ababa Agreement a sell-out. However, towards the end of the 10-year period of the Addis Ababa Agreement cracks began to appear in the southern leadership. Ethno-centricism or tribalism, political intrigues and the suspicion of the North of having a strong united region south of the border were contributing factors to the cracks in the Southern Region. However, I would lay the blame squarely on southerners for being utter naive and reactionaries in mismanaging the little freedom that was won through the sacrifice of precious lives and blood. Instead of being progressive and concentrating on fairness for all tribalism and political intrigues took the better of the Government of the Southern Region. The victims were mostly the people of Equatoria who found themselves at the receiving end. It was natural that there would be a reaction of some sort at any moment in time. Tribalism and arrogance in one’s backyard as it were became unbearable, hence the agitation for a fairer system of decentralisation. This was, however, seen as a challenge to the recently acquired hegemony by those who had assumed too much. It was interesting that people had just come out of a civil war fought against domination of the South by the North yet they turned completely ignorant of what a reaction to domination could be.

The argument for the decentralisation of the Southern Region seemed to have won the day. Naturally it was a joy to those in the North who were anyway suspicious of the South. It was also a joy to those southerners who had rejected the Addis Ababa Agreement from day one but for different reasons. It is not necessary here to narrate how the proponents of decentralisation of the Southern Region had to justify their demand. What is clear is that mistakes were definitely made. Unfortunately in our arrogance we hardly consider apology as a solution of some sort. Partly as a result of our arrogance the Addis Ababa Agreement was abrogated but then we turned around to cry as a child over spilt milk. Instead of addressing what were seen as legitimate grievances of those agitating for decentralisation the response was further intimidation. However, I would consider the abrogation of the Addis Ababa Agreement as a blessing in disguise because those who agitated for the decentralisation of the Southern Region unknowingly helped in the liberation effort. The abrogation of the Addis Ababa Agreement helped the nascent and emerging Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A) with massive manpower that sustained the war effort for the last twenty-two years and of course the crowning with the CPA that has in theory brought self-determination to the South through a referendum. We will have to wait to see the reality of self-determination in the South.

When the CPA was signed in January and the GOSS was established in July 2005 Equatorians regardless of politics welcome the GOSS to be headquartered in Juba. In fact when the hero of the CPA died untimely in a helicopter crash the people of Equatoria mourned him more than in any part of Southern Sudan and of course the grave of the fallen hero is in Juba. As a gesture of good will the Government of Central Equatoria State vacated its buildings to relocate to some derelict buildings that have housed the former government of the Addis Ababa Agreement in the 1970s in the interest of the GOSS. In normal business circumstances the Government of Central Equatoria State should have been compensated or remunerated for the buildings now occupied by the GOSS. However, there seemed to have been no agreement on the conditions for the GOSS to occupy what had belonged to the Central Equatoria State. It should be noted that when the Southern Region of the Addis Ababa Agreement was decentralised all the assets were equally divided among the three regions of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile. As a matter of business the GOSS should have rented buildings form Central Equatoria until such time that the GOSS was able to construct and occupy its own buildings. Alternatively Central Equatoria State would have refused to rent the GOSS any building. However, by all accounts that would have appeared non-nationalistic. This may explain why Central Equatoria in good faith surrendered its buildings to accommodate the GOSS. Nonetheless, as the Government of Central Equatoria State was not generous enough it was instead asked to relocate from Juba. The response should have been reciprocal.

Southerners seem to have not learned much from the abrogation of the Addis Ababa Agreement. Southern leaders always emphasised the unity of Southern Sudan for fear of the North intrigues for domination of the South but yet there is no evidence that unity of Southern Sudan is really being promoted. The proponents of decentralisation of the Southern Region of the Addis Ababa Agreement said, “Northern exploitation of a divided South is a fear being emphasised by the very people whose political records in the short period since the Addis Ababa Agreement, have shown more regard for their tribal affiliations than for the unity of the South and the Agreement itself”. One would have expected the CPA to be a little different from the Addis Ababa Agreement because of the SPLM and the GOSS publicly expressed commitment to democracy, equality, justice and fairness for all. However, looking at a sample of Ministries in the GOSS of strategic importance, reminds one of the Southern Region era. The Ministers in the five Ministries of SPLA Affairs, of the Police and Security Forces, of Finance and Economic Planning, of Regional Cooperation and of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development all seem to be coming from only one tribe and are from greater Bahr el Ghazal and greater Upper Nile. None is from greater Equatoria. This speaks volumes and I do not want to waste time elaborating further on what may have been already public knowledge. This may only be the tip of the iceberg.

The choice of Ramceil was reflective of a nation in progress. Dr John Garang de Mabior one visionary leader the South had ever produced was second to none in the Sudan. He clearly wanted to show the world how pragmatic he was by taking towns to villages as a nation in progress. The choice of a new capital for the GOSS is ideal. Juba has become a contested capital. It should be clear that there was no mention in the CPA of any town in the South to become the capital of the GOSS. However, the GOSS could have occupied any town but temporarily until it was ready to relocate to a permanent site. Juba was not meant for the GOSS but Ramceil was. Instead of grabbing existing buildings the GOSS should have taken the initiative to construct a new capital for its sake as the government of a nation in progress. As an Equatorian I am aware that I may be labelled as a divisive individual. A non-Equatortian calling for a new capital for Southern Sudan may not suffer name calling as an Equatorian. However, it should be understood that I have not said Juba belongs to a particular ethnic group or tribe and so the rest must get out of Juba. Juba may remain as a commercial or business centre or city that all southerners or people of different colours, tribes and cultures will intermingle. How on earth could I think of a fellow southerner to get out of Juba. I would only wish that people should not live in the past. We have to move on with better ideas to create a paradise on earth in Southern Sudan to meet the aspirations for a decent life in contrast to insecurity and century old services or none at all.

I saw a hotel in Juba by the name of Paradise. I was amused by the name. However, when I went into Paradise hotel I said to myself well southerners could create something better than containers as hotel rooms. The ball is in our court for us to make a meaningful contribution to a prosperous Southern Sudan.

The author is a regular contributor to Sudan Tribune and can be reached at [email protected]